From friends to
by RoseScor90
Summary: Teddy and Victoire had been friends right from age 5. Now, 12 years later, when this relationship changes to some thing else, will either of them do something about it? Or will they be too stubborn to admit it?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 1: The much awaited event

It was a few years after the Wizarding War II and the wizard community was looking for a break from all the stress of the war.

The eagerly awaited wedding of the Boy Who Lived is where our story begins.

"Victoire! Are you ready?"

"Yes, Momma. I'm ready to go"

"Alright! Now remember to ……"

"I know what to do, Mum. I'm not a child!"

Fleur wisely refrained from pointing out otherwise.

"Alright, dear. It's time for you to go"

Victoire walked into the tent which had been set up.

And that, was when Teddy saw her for the first time. Being barely a year older than her, he couldn't decide what to make out of her.

_She is certainly beautiful, but Grandma told me that she's a veela so that's no surprise._

Later, after the wedding, the two were introduced to each other with the intent that they'd become friends.

"Hello!"

Victoire scrunched her nose as Teddy held out a hand.

"Who are you?"

"Victoire! That's no way to greet a person"

"But Mum!"

"Apologise"

"I'm sorry. But I still don't like you"

"Victoire!"

"Let them be, Fleur" Bill said as he came near them.

"Behave yourself, Victoire" Fleur warned as she left with Bill towards the table where the other Weasleys were chatting.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Teddy. Teddy Lupin"

"_You_ are Teddy Lupin?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"But….but….you have yellow hair!"

"Why not?" 

"Momma told me you had pink hair the other day"

"I can change my hair color. I'm a meta-morph-magus" Teddy announced proudly.

"Can you change your hair color to purple?"

"Sure"

And Teddy closed his eyes and concentrated. Instead of his hair, his whole face turned purple with bright yellow spots.

"Ew! Turn back. Turn back" Victoire cried.

As Teddy returned to his original color, Victoire narrowed her eyes at him.

"You did that on purpose"

"No. I still can't control it. I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to. Are you angry?"

At that, Victoire's face broke into a smile and she said, "Of course not, silly. I was just shocked. Where are your parents?"

"They died in the war" Teddy mumbled.

"Did Vol-de-mort kill them?" Victoire asked innocently.

"No. It was some one else. I dunno who. Grandma won't say who"

"You have a Grandma?"

"Yeah"

"Does she cook like Grandma Weasley?"

"She cooks alright, I guess"

"Do you have many friends?"

"No. Why?"

"Well………I don't have many friends either. You have a Grandma and so……"

"We can be friends?"

"Sure"

"Yay! I got a new friend! I got a new friend" Teddy chanted as he jumped up and down. It took only moments for Victoire to join him in the jump-chant.

The people around them looked on with a smile.

_There was hope for happiness after all._

A/n: Hey every body! Yes, I know I'm juggling one too many stories at the same time but I think I'll make it work. How was the beginning? Please tell me. Was it okay? Boring? Stupid?

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_Preview of the next chapter:_

"_Hey Vicky! How are you?"_

"_Nothing has happened to me in the 12 hours that you didn't see me, Ed"_

"_I was just being gentlemanly"_

"_Come on, Ed! You? Gentlemanly?"_

"_A guy could try!"_

"_So, what did you want?"_

"_Heads meeting"_

"_I still can't believe you made Head Boy!"_

"_Not again! Get over it"_

"_Alright. Let's go"_


	2. Friends and bets

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 2: Friends and bets

It was September the 1st, twelve years later. The Hogwarts express had just left the station and Teddy Lupin was searching (more like racing through like a thunderstorm) the compartment for his _friend._

Teddy scoffed every time some one mentioned the word in reference to them. He felt that friend was too…._mundane_ a word for their relationship.

Friends shared secrets……….He knew hers even before she knew them herself.

Friends knew each others thoughts………He could predict what she'd think a decade later.

Friends kept contact even if they were separated……….There hadn't been a day in the past 12 years that he hadn't been with her for at least 12 hours.

Friends helped each other………….He'd never let Victoire have a problem to be solved.

_Sappy much, Teddy?_ He told himself as he entered a compartment towards the end of the train. It wasn't very populated.

_Just the way she liked it. Neither too crowded, nor too lonely._

"Hey Vicky! How are you?"

"Nothing has happened to me in the 12 hours that you didn't see me, Ed"

"I was just being gentlemanly"

"Come on, Ed! You? Gentlemanly?"

"A guy could try!"

"So, what did you want?"

"Heads meeting"

"I still can't believe you made Head Boy!"

"Not again! Get over it"

"Alright. Let's go"

As they were about to leave the compartment, a voice from within said, "Teddy!"

"Yes, Cassie?"

"Can you at least try to be civil? We _are_ Vicky's friends after all!"

"Oops. Sorry. Forgot that you are the temperamental one" Teddy replied as he re-entered the compartment with Victoire in tow.

"Now, greet us and then you can leave" Castalia ordered.

Teddy looked back at Victoire to find her smiling.

"Why do you guys do this every year?"

"Habit" Teddy replied as he went about wishing the quartet. It'd be appropriate to give a description of these people who are going to come with us through out the story.

Castalia Kaylin Valdez was, by far, the closest, and the most flamboyant friend of Victoire. With long raven hair as dark as the midnight sky, she was the most good-looking one of the five. Her deep blue eyes were always alight with happiness and no one had ever seen her sad or sorrowful.

Selene Adrienne McBride or Sam in short, was the tomboy of the set with her chestnut brown hair in a cute bob and her ever alert amber eyes. She was known more for her unmatched speed on the quidditch pitch as a chaser than for her looks or character and she wanted it to remain that way.

The last two of the group, Nikita Jamie Jacobs and Nadine Rivera Jacobs were, as you'd have already guessed, twins. Both of them had golden blond hair though Nadine had always claimed that hers was a bit darker than Nikita's. That was the end of similarities between the twins. Nikita had baby blue eyes which went well with her soft spoken nature where as Nadine had deep set grey-green eyes which were as mysterious as she, some times, could be.

Victoire had often wondered where she fit in the group. Teddy had always told her that she was the sensible one of them all to which the rest of them had taken light-hearted offence.

"Can I leave _now?_" Teddy asked, exasperated after he had finished greeting them for the third time around.

"Well, let's see…………..Yup. You're free to go" Nadine said as she smiled innocently up at him.

"The naïve look doesn't work on you Jacobs" Teddy retorted as he dragged Victoire out of the compartment before they could find another way of retaining them.

"Whew! That was close. Those friends of yours sure know how to talk"

"Mhm………"

"What's with the think-y face, Vicky?"

"Will you ever stop adding 'y's to your words"

"Since it seems to amuse you so, no, I won't"

"Act like a Head Boy, Ed. We have to…….."

"Set a good example to the younger years. I know. Why does every body say that? Can't those firsties make up their own minds without our help? I mean, why does every one think that they are directionless and that we're some kind of maps or some thing?"

"Get used to it. It's what every body's gonna say to you"

"Whatever. Here we are!"

"I thought we were going for the Heads meeting!"

"It's not for another hour"

"Why did………Nikki'd have surely told me!"

"That girl is wiser than you give her credit for. Let's go in"

"Are your friends in there?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Then I'm _not_ entering it"

"Oh! Come on, Vicky! It was _one_ time and we were in second year!"

The incident in debate had happened in the train ride of their second year when the so-called _friends_ of Teddy had charmed the compartment to sing Christmas carols every time she had tried to enter it.

"No way. They made it quite clear that time that they didn't want me in there. Nothing's changed in the past five years. I'm not going in that compartment"

"Hey Vicky! Don't mind us. Come on in" Tyler greeted as he opened the door to the compartment.

As Victoire entered the compartment she saw that there were no tricks this year.

"I told them not to mess with the Head Girl" Teddy muttered in her ear.

"Sit down, Vicky. No one's gonna bite you"

Intimidated by Teddy, the author is forced to give a description of his friends here.

The one who had opened the compartment, Tyler Graham Webb, had brown hair and charcoal black eyes which were always filled with kindness and he emitted an aura of comfort, making him the friendliest of the group. It was no secret in Hogwarts that he fancied the meek Nikita Jacobs and vice versa.

Ray Eric Saunders, on the other hand, was the resident play boy of Hogwarts. With his long, shaggy pale blond hair and deep grey eyes, he was often found stuck in the company of hordes of girls. He had the worst reputation of serial dating in the history of the school only next to Cassie's.

The last of the occupant, Carl Adam Hunter was the most down to earth person Victoire had ever seen in the world. He had haunting hazel eyes and curly sand colored hair which made him seem jovial and somber at the same time.

"Where's Drake?" asked Victoire as she looked around the compartment expecting said boy to jump out from one of its corners.

"He's in the next compartment. Said some thing about it being too noisy here" Teddy replied.

"Quidditch plans?"

"What else? That guy seriously needs to find a hobby other than quidditch"

"Quidditch is _not_ just a hobby" Teddy and another voice from the doorway retorted at the same time.

"Thanks for speaking up for me Ted. Atleast _some one_ here realizes the importance of the sport"

"Drake!" Victoire greeted as she hugged him.

"Hey Vicky! How was the holidays?"

"Boring without you, of course! There was no one for company except Teddy here and we all know how dull he can be!"

"Hey! I take offence to that!"

"Oh! Quit being the spoil sport, Teddy. I was just making fun of you. So, how was the Quidditch World Cup, Drake?"

"The Holyhead Harpies were amazing. Though the new Chaser was not as good as your aunt"

"Ginny is an amazing Chaser. Pity she chose to retire so soon" Teddy said as he sat down with Victoire opposite him by the door.

"So, any new plans for this year?" Ray asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Will you stop insinuating things, Ray?"

"I've lost so much money, Vicky! I have to win at least a part of it back!"

"Teddy and I are not going out any time soon" Victoire replied as she smiled at Carl who had just looked up from his book.

"Leave them alone, Ray. They have to work things out by themselves"

"What does that mean?" Teddy asked.

"Whatever you take it to mean, Ted" Carl shrugged as he went back to reading his book.

"Let's go Vicky. Time for Heads Meeting. You coming, Ty?"

"Yeah. Just a minute"

As the trio left the compartment, Drake said, "It's a pity they don't see what's right in front of their eyes"

"They'll work it out. In their own time" Carl said.

"Let's hope that's before Christmas or I'll lose yet another bet with Cassie" Ray replied as he settled down by the window to look out at the scenery passing by.

A/n: Hi guys. The second chapter is here.

As always review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	3. Prefects meeting

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 3: Prefects meeting

_At the Heads Compartment_

"Is every one here?" Victoire asked as she filed into the compartment.

"Nikita isn't here yet" Tyler observed as he sat in one of the seats by the compartment door.

"I'm here" a soft voice came from the door as Nikita entered the compartment and sat beside Tyler.

"So, let's begin. Now, in the Hogwarts letter you would have been told about the new tradition that has been planned for this year. So, any one has any ideas?"

Ever since Blaise Zabini had become the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he had taken care to introduce some thing new every year so that the students would get involved and so that school won't just be about academics. It had been a grand idea and several people who would otherwise have remained unseen were recognized for their talents. This year, or _from_ this year if the idea was successful, the heads and prefects were given the responsibility of organizing such events.

"How about a ball?" suggested one of the prefects.

"That's not a very bad suggestion though I think we ought to go for some thing less grand than a ball" said Teddy, nevertheless taking down the idea.

Five suggestions and quite a lot of hair pulling later………

"How about a contest?" Nikita suggested timidly.

"Contest?"

"Yeah! This event is all about discovering talents and bringing them into lime light, right?"

"Yes. Tell me more" said Teddy.

"Why don't we like……assign a particular task to some one, like learning to play the clarinet? Of course we have to take care so that no one gets some thing they practically can't do, but it'd be nice trying to so some thing different for a change, right? We might even come to like our task"

"And?"

"We can have a day, near the end of the year when each and every one can perform their task before the school and………."

"There needn't be winners essentially but we can always award one best performer award per year, right?" Taylor asked excitedly. He was beginning to like the idea very much.

"Exactly. This will also mean that the one assigned the task will ask for some one else's help and it's going to assist in unity among the students. What do you think?" Nikita asked self consciously, looking around the compartment for the others' reaction.

After a few seconds' contemplation, Victoire asked, "How many of you think this idea is good enough?"

There was a chorus of me's and I's as all of the prefects unanimously supported Nikita's idea making her delighted and happy.

"Let's decide the prefect round schedules now. Due to the disastrous events of last year," Victoire said glancing at the two Sixth year Slytherin prefects who had caused havoc last year because they had been put with Hufflepuffs" we have decided that it'd be better if the prefects from the same house patrolled together. Your schedules will be put up son the prefects commonroom notice board by today evening. Teddy and I will discuss the event idea with Professor Zabini and get back to you. Since I'm almost positive that he'll agree I'd like you all to be ready with suggestions and ideas by the next Friday meeting. Is that okay?"

"When's the meeting?" asked one fifth year Gryffindor prefect.

"We'll decide it later and will inform you through the other prefects. Is there any thing else any body wants to ask?"

After a murmur of no's the group disbursed to their respective compartments and Teddy came back with Victoire to her compartment only to find it already full.

"Hey there Ted! Took you long enough in there" Ray said as he waved from his seat.

"Did you eavesdrop again?" Teddy sighed as he entered the compartment.

"Couldn't help it. So, a contest, eh! Your twin sure has a lot of ideas, Nadine. Speaking of her, where is she?"

"Where's Tyler?" Carl asked at the same time.

"I'm here!" Nikita said as she entered the compartment.

"Where is Ty?"

"He was talking with his friend from Ravenclaw. What's his name?"

"Never mind. Sit down" Cassie replied as she moved to make space for Nikita.

Soon the talk in the compartment died out and the occupants fell asleep one by one.

When Tyler finally entered the compartment, he saw that only Drake was awake and he too was reading Cannons through the centuries by Ronald Weasley.

"Was it that boring without me?" he joked as he stood in the doorway since there wasn't much space in there any way.

"Every one just got tired of speaking. How they can speak non-stop is beyond me" he replied as he shifted so that Sam, who was sleeping beside him jolted awake.

"Hey! Who?.....Oh, sorry Drake. Didn't mean to fall asleep on you" she mumbled as she stood up without thinking and woke up Cassie who was beside her who woke up Nikita who……….let's just be content in saying that it was a chain reaction which woke every one up.

"We're almost there! Hurry up. Change!" Victoire ordered as she started rushing about the compartment.

"Calm down, Vicky. We have a half hour more. Relax" Teddy said as he saw that Victoire was getting upset.

"Okay. Okay" Victoire said as she let out a breath and looked up to smile at Teddy.

"That's better. Now, boys, let's leave" he said and left the compartment.

_No one knows me like Ed. I dunno what I'd have done without him. I'd probably have gone half mad with anxiety if it hadn't been for his humor._

"Daydreaming, Vicky?" Sam asked as she finished changing into her robes.

"Nothing. I was just thinking of the upcoming year. You know, since I'm head Girl I'll have to move into the Head Dorms now. I'll miss you guys. I have to ask Headmaster if there is a way to change back to our dorms"

"There is a way. You just have to ask the Head of our House" said Nikita.

"How did you know that?" Cassie asked in amazement.

"I read it in Hogwarts, a History, the practicalities"

"Aunt Mione's book?" Victoire asked.

"Yeah. Your aunt's a genius. She has written about _every thing_"

"Yeah. I know. And it seems that little Rosie is following right in her footsteps"

"Let's go, guys. Hogsmeade is here" Nadine said in her ethereal voice as she began unloading her trunk from the racks above.

_Back to Hogwarts._

A/n: He every one! The third chapter. I'm not happy with it but it is needed for the story, so……..bear with me if it's too boring.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	4. The event of the year

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 4: The event of the year

After the beginning of the year feast where Cassie and Ray had, once again, has a fight about some thing silly, the Heads went to the Headmaster's office. This time, it had been who would be the first to get the salt. As a result, the entire Gryffindor population had had to eat a salty pumpkin pastry.

"Lyra!"

And the Gargoyle stepped aside to let the two in.

"Come in"

"Good evening, Professor"

"Good evening, , Miss. Weasley. Take a seat. Now, as you'd have already known from the letter, from this year, we are planning to have an 'event of the year' and the Heads, with the help of the Prefects are expected to organize it. I hope you have discussed this with the prefects?"

"We have, sir and we have also decided on a particular event, if you will allow it, that is"

"What is the idea, ?"

"Well, you see sir,………."

After listening to the two heads explain the event for ten whole minutes, Professor Zabini sat back in his chair and said, "Your idea deserves a lot of merit, though I can't give you the go ahead without consulting the other staff but, I will tell you this. Start preparing the lots"

"Thank you, Professor"

"If that will be all,…."

"Professor!" both Vicky and Teddy said at the same time and Teddy said, "You go first, Vicky"

"I'd like to ask if I can move back into my old dorm. Seeing as this is my last year, I'd feel better if I could stay with my friends"

"If that is what you wish for, . Do you have any qualms, ?"

"That was what I had wanted to ask too, Professor"

"Alright then. Now that I have been released from the duty of showing you to the Heads dorms, I'd like to take leave of the two of you"

"Good evening, Professor" the two chorused before leaving the Headmaster's room.

"How do you think we should go about planning this event?"

"Let's go one at a time, Vicky. When do we pick our tasks?"

"The 15th?"

"Hmm……The event?"

"At the end of April?"

"That'd give us enough time but we'd have to research a lot"

"What for?"

"We'd have to find spells so that no one gets the task which they can't do"

"What do you mean?"

"Like……..Yours shouldn't be 'learn quidditch'"

"Hey! I'm afraid of heights not the sport!"

"That's the thing, Vicky! Since you have Acrophobia, you can't learn Quidditch!"

"Okay! Do you reckon there are such spells?"

"There must be. We'll ask Nikita. Since it was her idea I think she'd have done some ground work on it"

And indeed, Nikita had researched and found such a spell.

"It's called the repello spell though that's not the original incantation. Aha! There it is. This is the incantation"

"repouse opsyon an te pè? Is this some kind of joke? I can't even pronounce it!"

"Don't worry, Ted. I've tried it once. It works"

"Okay, then. Now all we need is to brainstorm the tasks. How many will we need, approximately?"

"Two thousand?"

"What! You're kidding me!"

"Really?"

"There are one thousand nine hundred and seventy eight, including the first years"

"What do we do now?"

"We use the creativity spell"

"What's that?"

"It's a sort of magical generator. It generates whatever you want as per the modifications"

"So? What's the spell?"

"Loovus poslove"

"Okay! You tried that out too?"

"Yeah!"

"Thank you sooo much, Nikki! You've saved us a lot of time and work!"

At this Nikita just gave them a shy smile and left for the rounds.

"So, do you reckon every thing will be fine?"

"Of course every thing has to be! This is our final year! We can't have some thing going wrong, can we?"

"Yeah!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you think will be your task, Valdez?"

"I dunno but I do know what yours will be"

"What?"

"Stay single for the year"

"Hey! Is that the kettle calling the pot black?"

"I'm not as bad as you, Saunders! You are the one that goes through girls like one goes through dresses"

"It's just that all of them are boring! I'm just waiting for the right person!"

"Oh! Are you going to kill me now that I know that the Casanova of Hogwarts is, in fact, a romantic at heart?"

"Funny Valdez. Do you mean to tell me you don't want a happily ever after?"

"And riding into the sunset? No thanks! I'd prefer a normal relationship to this 'fairy tale' any time"

"You're no fun, Valdez"

Seeing that there was no reply from Cassie, Ray turned and looked at her.

"What are you looking at?"

"Look out the window"

"What's so…….not again!"

"Yeah! Those two will never admit that they are equally good in quidditch"

"In this stormy weather too"

There was, in fact, a storm raging out side.

The two in question, although, were neither aware nor concerned about it. All that mattered to them was beating the other.

"Take that McBride!" Drake whooped as he stopped one of her attempts at scoring.

"Not so fast, Wood"

As Sam rushed towards him with the quaffle in hand, Drake, for a moment, lost sight of her in the rain that had started to pour down in buckets.

Taking advantage of that, Sam sent the quaffle flying through the air and through the middle hoop.

"That was cheating! I couldn't even see you!"

"Losing touch, Wood?"

"Let's call it a tie. We'll continue later. And I'll win, McBride"

"We'll see about that, Wood" Sam replied as she dismounted her broom and went into the castle.

"Aren't you gonna help me?"

As Drake's voice coated with Irish accent floated to her, she smirked and walked on as if she hadn't heard him at all.

_What did it matter to her if he drowned in the rain? One git down, too many to go._

A few minutes later, she was joined by Wood, who was now soaked as well as panting from exhaustion.

"That was rude!"

"Rude, Wood? Whatever are you talking about?"

"You could have helped me with the quaffle!"

"And what happened to your 'girls can't be quidditch players' club?"

"Hey! That was in third year! We were still kids!"

_And I was jealous of your skill._

"Whatever, Wood. Let's get in before both of us are washed away in the rain"

"Sure"

As they entered the castle, they were immediately confronted by Nikita and Tyler who had just begun patrolling.

"God! Don't tell me………..You played quidditch in this weather?"

"Yeah!"

As Sam tried to move past the two, Nikita stopped her and said, "Wait!"

"Tirim"

And the two were dry in an instant.

"Thanks, Nikki. I should be leaving now" Drake said as he left, but not before waving to Tyler.

"I should be going too"

As Sam hurried down the corridor, Nikita shook her head and said, "Those two will play quidditch even if there was a hungry dragon on the pitch"

"And they'd kill the poor dragon with their arguments" Tyler added and they turned the corridor only to dash into a stack of books.

"Oops! We're so sorry!" Tyler said as he began helping the girl who had dropped her books.

"You shouldn't be carrying so many books. You won't be able to see where you're going" Nikita said sympathetically as she too bent down to help the girl.

"I'm sorry!" the girl said and looked up at the two prefects.

"It's fine. Would you need any help with the books?"

"No, thanks. I think I can manage with the shrinking charm"

As soon as the books had been shrunk, the girl thanked the prefects once again and left.

"I've seen her some where" Nikita said as the two continued with the rounds.

"I know! She was in the portrait that hangs in the Headmaster's room"

"She's Mae Nott, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Hmm……..I've read about her some where"

"Read about her?"

"Yeah!"

"I don't think sixteen year olds will be written about, Nikki"

"I guess it must have been some one else" Nikita admitted although she noted it in her mind to look for the name the next time she went to the library.

A/n: Hello!!!!!!!!!!I know most of you will be pretty miffed with me for not updating. I'm sooooooooo sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise I'll update faster from now on!

What do you think the tasks will be? Any guesses?

Are you wondering who Mae is? You'll have to read my other story 'Draco's quest for life and……love?' to understand that.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S: Try out my other stories featuring Albus/oc and Lily/oc too!!!!!!!!!!!

See ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	5. The lots and lots of lots

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 5: The lots and lots of lots

The fifteenth of September arrived before anyone could blink an eye, and the lots were prepared.

A week before, Teddy and Victoire had held the Prefects meeting and had put forth their decisions to unanimous consent. The news had been put up in all the common room notice boards and the entire school was brimming with anticipation and excitement.

"_Sonorous! _Settle down, every one! Yes, that's good" the voice of Teddy caught their attention and the students settled down in their own house tables. They had chosen the Great Hall for picking the lots since it was the only place were all the students could be gathered at once.

"We have decided to do this year wise and the first years will go first! Remember that, whatever lot you get will be final! There will be no changes and you can't exchange with any one. Enchantments have been placed so that you won't get some thing you can't do. So, if you get a lot, it means you can do it. Ready every one?"

After a chorus of 'yeah's', the lot picking began.

A circle had been drawn around the lot goblet and as soon as a person came into the circle, a lot shot out of the goblet and landed in the student's palm.

The lot picking continued for three hours before the only ones left were Ray, Tyler, Carl, Drake, Cassie, Nikita, Nadine, Sam and of course Teddy and Victoire.

"Let's all go together"

"Alright!"

And the ten stepped into the circle as one and held out their hands as ten pieces of parchment flew out of the goblet.

They stepped away from the circle and the goblet imploded and vanished.

"Every one! Before we leave, this event is not just for fun, as we all know. It also symbolizes unity and co-operation among the group. So, if you think some one from the other house could help you or some one you've never even spoken with before, don't hesitate to ask them, okay?" Victoire's voice was neither ordering nor meek as she said this, "We hope you enjoy your tasks! Good night every one!"

As the crowd dispersed, Teddy sought Victoire out and asked her mockingly, "Can you help me? Do you know French?"

"Oh, French? What's that?" Victoire tried pretending to be innocent before the two burst out laughing.

"Sure I'll help you"

"What did you get?"

"Let's get going guys. We'll discuss this in the common room" Ray said as he left the Great Hall.

Once in the common room, the ten settled by the fire since the common room was deserted. It was after curfew and most of the students had left for bed. Luckily, none of the four had to do rounds, for which they were grateful. The past week had been strenuous with plans for the event.

"Let's go one by one. Shall I go first?" Cassie asked as she bobbed up and down in her place on the couch.

"Stop jumping, Valdez. At this rate, I'll fall off the couch"

"And hit your head? That'd be nice!"

"Guys! Open it, Cassie"

"Okay……………I got…………..Hippogriff riding? Is that even a task?"

"Guess so. You go next, Nadine"

"Legilimens. I dunno who else in this school would know that!"

"We'll see. You, Sam?"

"Dancing! You can't be serious! I'm the clumsiest one of us all!"

"I'm sure you'll get better. You Nikita?"

"A Patronus"

"Should be easy. You're bursting from happiness most of the time!" Sam whined and turned to Victoire, "What did you get?"

"Animagus" Vicky announced proudly.

"I'll go first!" Ray jumped, mimicking Cassie, who promptly smacked him on the head.

"Ow! That hurt! I got………star gazing!"

"I wonder who will help you?" Vicky pondered with a twinkle as she looked none too discreetly, at Cassie, who was, by far, the best at astronomy out of the group.

"Moving on," Teddy said, sensing an argument, "I need to learn French"

"Good thing you've got Vicky, then. I got to learn to play the fiddle. Lord knows where I'll find some one who knows that" Tyler sighed.

"I could help you!" Nikita spoke up and then, added, "If it's okay, that is"

"Thanks, Nikki. What did you get, Carl?"

"Let's have Drake's first?"

"Okay……..Drake?"

"Ice skating. Guess I gotta wait till winter"

"There's always the room of requirement" Carl suggested.

"Don't change the topic, Carl. What did you get?"

"SInkig"

"Couldn't hear you?"

"Singing!"

"What?"

"No way!"

"Guess there was a musical side to you, eh Carl?"

"Quit making fun of him every one!" Victoire admonished, "And Nadine will help you, Carl. Won't you, Nad?"

"Couldn't hurt, I guess" Nadine agreed.

"I'll help you with legilimens" Carl offered.

"You know legilimency?"

"You never told us!"

"I didn't want you to be wary of me" Carl admitted.

"Oh! Don't worry! We won't be deterred that easily!" Tyler assured him.

"Is it just me that has to find a hippogriff boy now?" Cassie complained.

"You could always ask Hagrid!" Victoire suggested.

"And be hoisted on Buckbeak in the next instant? No thanks!"

"May be Ray could help?" Sam suggested, "In exchange for you helping him with astronomy, that is", she added after seeing the smoldering gaze directed her way.

"Hmm……….Not a bad idea. What do you say Valdez?"

"Do I have a choice?" Cassie sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she'd now have to see even more of Ray Saunders.

Through all this, Vicky had been silent. Seeing her in deep thought, Teddy asked, "What's on your mind?"

"I dunno who'll know about animagi? Now that Professor McGonagall has retired!"

"Ah! I'm insulted! My heart's breaking!"

"Stop making a scene, Ted" Vicky cut his drama short.

"You could have asked me!"

"What if Segina Reeves wants your help?"

"She got designing, and I couldn't match a shirt with a tie if my life depended on it. Or so you tell me"

Victoire let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"That's good then"

"So it's settled?"

"Sure"

As the talk died down, one by one they left for their dorms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wake up, Saunders!"

"Wha……Who? What are you doing in my _dorm_, Valdez?"

"Shh………….Do you want to wake the entire school up?"

"What's the matter?" Ray asked, scowling.

_May be I should just have gone by myself._

Indeed, when Cassie had gotten ready to go star watching, she had thought of just having a quick look at the sky she so loved. But then, this bizarre idea had popped up in her head, to take Ray along.

"Let's go!"

"Where?"

"To the Astronomy Tower, of course!"

"What!"

"Get your filthy mind out of the gutter, Saunders. Stars appear at night"

"Did you wake me up at………What time is it?"

"One am"

"One am! You'd better be good at running, Valdez. I'm going to kill you!"

_I should have known he wouldn't appreciate it!_

"Stop it, you dolt! Do you want to go star gazing or not?"

"Why today!" Ray whined like a child as he got up from the bed and began to put his cloak on.

"The Cygnus will be beautiful now. Come on!"

"Cyg……….what?"

"Cygnus. It's a constellation. You'll see it"

"Is this the one with the swan shape?"

"Yeah! How do you know this?"

"Read it some where I guess"

By this time, they had reached the entrance to the common room.

"Do you reckon Filch will be patrolling now?"

"No. I already checked. He's ill"

"I dunno why he still hasn't retired"

"Me either. Let's go up. I think I'll be able to find telescopes for both of us"

"Okay!"

They climbed up the stairs and came to the vast room which was infamous for quite a lot of things to find it, blissfully empty.

"There it is. A bit rusty but these should do"

"What's the difference between seeing them through the eye and…………….bloody hell!"

"Nice?"

"Wow! It's……..it's……..magnificent!"

"I know. Now, where's that Cygnus? Ah! there it is. Do you see it?"

"See what?"

"The Cygnus"

"I can't identify any of them!"

"See to your left. Do you see that bright one there?"

"Yeah?"

"That's the Deneb. It's at the swan's tail. Okay?"

"Mhmm………."

"Then there's the Albireo"

"The yellow one and the blue one?"

"Yeah, that's them. That's the swan's nose, okay?"

"I get it now! Wow, I never thought a bunch of stars could be this complicated or this beautiful!"

"Yeah! Take that telescope back, Saunders. I showed you that for a sample. You need to know the basics before you go for any more star gazing. What do you know about the sky?"

"I know about the planets, if that's what you're asking. And the moon cycle,……….and that's about that"

"Okay! Seems you're worse than I thought. Let's start with the sun…………"

An hour later, they returned to the common room.

"Cassie?"

"Huh?"

"Thanks. For the lesson and the stars, that is"

"Sure"

"Good night"

"Good night, Ray"

As she entered her dorm, it struck her suddenly.

_We didn't fight for nearly an hour! Oh, no!!!!!!!!_

A/n: Hey every body!!!!!!!! Let me admit some thing first. I'm totally and completely unhappy with this chap and so, you can criticize me all you want. I know all these characters are confusing. My eyes crossed for a bit too!!!!!!!! But I promise I'll make them easier to remember from now on, okay? Do you think it was too cliché? Any changes, any thing silly I've done, you can always tell me!!!!!!!!!!!

As always, review!!!!!!!!


	6. Music lessons and Mocking Neighs

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 6: Music lessons and Mocking Neighs

"No, no. You're pronouncing it wrong. It's mad-moi-selle. Not mada- mo-sell" Victoire retorted as she shook her head vehemently. She and Teddy had been seated at the couch in the common room for the past half hour and, according to Victoire, had tried futilely to teach him French.

"Vic, I think we ought to take a break," Teddy suggested as he leaned back against the couch.

"Yeah! You aren't getting any where with this"

"So, how's the research about Animagi going?"

"Uh! I'm frustrated. I never knew there'd be so much theory in changing into an Animagus! How did you do it?"

"Oh, it was easy for me since I'm a metamorphmagus"

"Yeah, yeah! I'd forgotten that. Can you change your hair color to a baby blue?" Victoire asked as she clapped her hands like a five year old.

Teddy smiled at her kid like antics and closed his eyes.

"Yay!" He knew his hair color had changed from Vicky's delighted squeal.

Over the years, if one thing had remained constant with Vicky, it had been her fascination with his metamorphmagus abilities. She had particularly loved the baby blue hair.

"Any thing else Madmoiselle Victoire?" Teddy asked as he stood and took a mock bow, his hair turning the exact shade of strawberry blonde Victoire's was.

"You were bluffing! Why you!"

Teddy laughed as he ran around the common room with Victoire hot on his heels, now brandishing a rather large volume on Animagus that she had previously abandoned.

"Hey! You aren't really going to attack me with that, are you?"

"Why shouldn't I? You've made me pluck out my hairs for the past hour trying to teach you French! I'm sure a bang on the head with this will be quite justified!"

"Gotcha!" Vicky said as she got a hold of his cloak. "Now, you can either get a bang from this of your own will or…"

"Or?"

"Or you profess your undying love to Segina Reeves"

"I'd much rather have a dozen dents in my head" Teddy replied as Vicky cheerfully began beating him with the book.

A few minutes later, Vicky flopped down on the couch.

"I'm exhausted!"

"And I was the one who had to take that bludgering" Teddy complained as he rubbed his head.

"Does it really hurt that much?" Victoire asked, now turning serious.

"Of course! It hurts like hell! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Teddy's actions belied his words as he was laughing and his hair turned a sunny yellow.

As a comfortable silence fell, Victoire settled more comfortably in the couch and leaned her head on Teddy's shoulder.

A few minutes later,

"Vicky! Vic…"

Looking at Victoire's sleeping face, Teddy was reminded of their childhood days when they'd play in the treehouse at the Burrow's backyard. Even then, Victoire used to fall asleep the same way. And even then, he used to stare at her sleeping face for hours.

Not because it was the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Not because she was a veela. Those had never mattered to him.

Victoire shifted slightly, bringing him away from his musings. Smiling at her, he settled beside her and closed his eyes.

Just like old times

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where did you find this?" Tyler asked as he gaped at the fiddle in front of him.

"Oh, it's always been there. I found it a few years ago when I was doing a detention for Professor Flitwick" Nikita announced proudly a she lifted the instrument and began to play it.

Tyler's retort of 'You had a detention!' died in his throat as all of a sudden, the room was filled with soothing music. Tyler watched, amazed, as the tune changed from calming to swift to sorrowful and at last to cheerful. It occurred to him that this was her way of venting out her emotions. She didn't play the way she spoke. The tune, irrespective of the emotion it conveyed was confident, yet light. He felt as if he was floating on a cloud one minute, caught in a flash flood next and basking in the sun the next.

As the last notes dribbled out, he could only stare at her with admiration as she once again became self conscious.

"Where did you learn to play like that?"

"My mum plays. She taught me when I was a child. I've made my own changes from there" Nikita answered as she absent-mindedly stroked the instrument.

"I've never heard you play!"

"Neither have you heard Nadine sing. We keep it as low key as possible"

"But, why? You play fabulously. I think you'd make a terrific name for yourself!"

"Please don't. I play for my own happiness and to express my own thoughts. I can't play for any body consciously. Before you learn this instrument, you have to know this. Playing an instrument is not all that great. It's more or less like dueling"

"Dueling?"

"Yeah! That you duel isn't the essential thing. Why you duel is what matters, right?"

"I get it! So do you mean to say that no one should play professionally?"

"No one who wishes to enjoy playing should be a professional. When you go pro, you play what your fans want. Not what your heart desires. And fame and fortune can be addictive. I've seen musicians forget the very pull of music because of this. Of course, I'm not dumping this on you"

"Of course not, but what you say isn't very off the mark either"

"Just remember to play often. A person who has experienced the joys of music can never live without it"

"Of course I won't"

"Coming to the theory part of it, this is the Hardanger fiddle. It's mostly played in Norway"

"How did your mother know how to play it then?"

"She was from Norway, actually. So, you see it has nine strings?"

"Nine!"

"Don't panic. You only have to play four of them. The rest will vibrate and give a haunting sound to the tune. That's what's most special about this instrument"

"That it has a built-in echo system?"

"Yeah! And this was mostly used in wedding processions. And it was mostly accompanied by dancing"

"May be we can ask Sam to be here with us"

"She'll wreck the instrument while dancing"

"She's that clumsy?"

"You've only ever seen her on the Quidditch pitch. Not on land"

"I'll take your word for it then"

"Let's begin, shall we? There are twenty different ways to tune this. And the tune is generally of a higher pitch than the other instruments"

After five minutes, the instrument was tuned and ready.

"Have you ever played any other string instrument before?"

"Yeah! The Violin"

"This should be easy then. The technique is just the same but you should be a bit lighter on the strings, okay?"

"Yeah! Okay?"

"You can read the notes?"

"Sure"

"Here you are then"

"Can you sing along? I need to get the hang of it before I play with mere notes"

"Okay!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you calling me a fool, Saunders?"

"Hey! It had nothing to do with me this time! It was Buckbeak who neighed mockingly at you"

"Neighed mockingly? Can neighs be mocking?"

"That's how it seemed to me"

"You're wrong"

"Then why didn't you try riding Buckbeak?"

"I need to get acquainted with it before I trust it to carry me"

"You're just afraid"

"No, I'm….Hey, did you hear that"

Indeed, soft music was flowing out of a room at the end of the corridor.

"Some one's singing too," Cassie declared as she rushed towards the source of music.

"Let's hope it isn't Carl" ray retorted before following Cassie.

"Who is it?"

"Shh…look"

The sight before them was captivating, as was the music.

Tyler was playing the fiddle while Nikita stood before him, as innocent and pure as the music pouring out of the fiddle, singing in a gentle voice, swaying slightly on the spot. The setting sun shed its rays through the window at the back, lending the already serene sight an unearthly look.

Looking at the sun-lit face of Nikita with her hair floating around her, Cassie was forced to think of the angels she had seen in pictures. The only thing she lacked was the crown of flowers.

The two spectators stood unmoving, even after the song came to an end.

"You play really well. There was no need for me to teach you at all" Nikita's voice was pleasantly surprised.

"Guess you need inspiration to play music. I've never before played this well, you know?"

"Oh, really! You seemed to be quite accomplished to me"

"Being accomplished isn't the same thing as playing well, right?"

"I can't argue with that. Hey, Cassie"

"Noticed us finally, did you?" Cassie said mockingly as she came into the room.

"What happened to you? You're so…muddy"

"This idiot here, thought it fitting to dump me with loads of mud"

"It's not as if I was the only one" Ray retorted as he pulled out a handful of mud from his pocket as evidence.

"Serves you right"

"May be I should have dumped you with Dragon Dung"

"Why you…"

After the two had run out of the room with Cassie chasing Ray screaming bloody murder, Nikita began rounding up the notes which she had lent to Tyler.

"I'll take care of it, Nikita. Just sit down" He eased her into a chair as he began replacing the fiddle in its case.

A/n: Hi! I have, true to my promise in my profile (which I updated just yesterday) updated this story. I wouldn't call this the best chap but writing Nikita always makes me wary. She's just so delicate that I have to be so very careful with her.

Apart from my ramblings, tell me which POV you want next. Obviously, through a review. I promise to write the one you guys choose. After all, I'm a readers' author.

See ya!

_Preview of the next chap:_

"_Ballroom dance is for two you know"_

_Startled, Sam took a few seconds to right herself before she turned towards the person who had interrupted her. _

_Though she didn't need to look to know who it was._

"_What are you doing here, Wood? At this time of the night, too?"_

"_I thought I'd help you" Drake replied as he leaned on the doorframe and folded his hands._

"_You? Help me? Why would you do that?"_

"_You always were sharp, weren't you?"_

"_Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Wood" Sam retorted as she sat in a chair, unable to balance herself on the heels any more "What do you want?"_


	7. Ballroom Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 7: Ballroom confrontations

"Hey Lindy!" Sam greeted as she entered into the room behind the portrait with the fruit bowl.

"It's good to see you again Miss Selene" the house elf greeted back "Is there any thing Lindy could get you?"

"Uh…I just wanted a favor, Lindy"

"Any thing for you Miss Selene"

"You are familiar with all the rooms in the castle, right?"

"Of course Miss Selene"

"Is there any room here fit for dancing? Or learning dancing? Except the room of requirement, that is?"

"Yes, Miss Selene. Would you like Lindy to take you there now?"

"If it isn't too much trouble"

"It's always a pleasure to help you Miss Selene" Lindy began to walk through the corridors, heedless of any body noticing her.

"If I am not intruding, can I ask you some thing Miss Selene?"

"You want to know why I want to see that room"

"Mhmm"

"You know about that event don't you? I got dancing in that"

"You aren't going to ask for any body's help?"

"I don't believe in helping Lindy. If some one does some thing for me, I have to do some thing for them in return. And except for Quidditch, I can't help people with any thing"

"What about your other hobby Miss Selene?"

"Ice skating?"

"Yes Miss Selene. Some one should have got that. You can ask for their help!"

"I can't ask him for help Lindy"

"Why not Miss Selene?"

"I simply can't Lindy"

Watching the direction Lindy was taking, Sam asked "Why are we going to the Quidditch pitch Lindy?"

"Not to the pitch, Miss Selene. Under it"

"Und….Are you telling me there's a room below the Quidditch pitch?"

"Yes Miss Selene. It's the most magnificent ball room I have ever seen" Lindy stated as she went through the pitch towards the locker rooms.

Behind the locker room was an old shed where Sam knew the damaged brooms were kept.

Lindy entered it and began moving the precariously high heap of quaffles aside.

Sam helped Lindy move the ones at the top, afraid that the tiny elf will get hit on the head.

Behind the heap was a stone wall, whereas the rest of the shed was made of wood.

Lindy began to push the wall which, to the surprise of Sam, began to move back, until it collided with the wooden wall at its back.

As Sam neared the wall, she could see that a small room had been created by the wall's backward movement. Inside, to her right and left were two doors.

"The right one leads to the ball room"

"Where does this one go?" Sam asked pointing to the left door.

"The stores room"

"So why hasn't any one ever found this room?"

"Only the Quidditch captains know about it and they don't care about ball rooms enough"

"Oh! Let's go"

Lindy opened the door and Sam could only stare at the splendor of the room below.

They were standing at the top of what once should have been a grand staircase. It spiraled down to the ball room.

As she descended the stairs, Sam asked "Does this cover the entire Quidditch pitch?"

"Yes Miss Selene. This was used five hundred years before when dancing was taught as a lesson here"

Lindy flicked her fingers and the entire room became ablaze with light.

Sam gaped at the majesty of the room. The room was a neat circle, with a semi circular stage at the opposite end. The room was quite high and a delicate, elaborately designed crystal chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling, which was the color of the sky on a clear sunny day. There were no candles on the chandelier, and yet, beams of white light exploded from it, shedding its brilliant light on the entire room.

The walls of the room were embedded with glass windows, each spanning the height of the room, and out side, the scenery was that of a serene night, with a full moon and stars shining on the deep blue sky.

The portion of the walls that did not contain the window was of pale green with lavender flowers and green vines interspersing to form a complicated pattern.

The floor was of wood, a deep maroon color, contrasting richly with the walls of the room.

On the stage was a small juke box which Sam proceeded to inspect.

"It plays all kinds of music Miss Selene" Lindy explained and only then did Sam come back to the living.

"I have little to no knowledge of music"

"Just think that you want a random song, Miss Selene and it will play"

Sam did so and was astounded, when the box began to play a song.

_A screech could have been more to the point_ Sam thought as she willed the box to stop.

As the music drained out, she turned back to Lindy and said, "Thanks Lindy"

"It's no problem Miss Selene. If you want to leave, then just go through the door at the back of the stage and you will get to the fifth floor. It works only on one side so you can't use it the other way" Lindy warned.

Lindy's pop of apparition was synchronous with the start of the music on the box. This time though, it was a ball room song and Sam found herself swaying on the spot to the music.

She found the music quite likeable, though it was contrary to her own flashy character.

"Ballroom dance is for two you know"

Startled, Sam took a few seconds to right herself before she turned towards the person who had interrupted her.

Though she didn't need to look to know who it was.

Drake Wood was standing at the doorway, his deep chocolate hair askew from hours of flying and his hazel eyes amused, as they always would be when with her.

"What are you doing here, Wood? At this time of the night, too?"

"I think the more appropriate question would be what are _you_ doing here?"

"Well…seeing as this is a ball room and there's music playing, a normal person would assume that I'd have been dancing. Though, I couldn't have expected that from that retarded intelligence of yours"

"You know, I really don't have to stand here and take all of those insults you're spouting"

"I'd be glad to see you turn your back and walk away"

"Even if I wanted to help you?"

"What?"

Not even a mob of stampeding unicorns could have caught her as off guard as it did.

"I thought I'd help you" Drake replied as he leaned on the doorframe and folded his hands.

"You? Help me? Why would you do that?"

"You always were sharp, weren't you?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Wood" Sam retorted as she sat in a chair by the stage, unable to balance herself on the heels any more "What do you want?"

"Why would I want any thing?"

"Human nature. No body does any thing without personal gains"

"Ah! As much as I would like to prove you wrong, I don't think this is the time"

"You still haven't answered my question"

"I want your help"

"With?"

"My task"

"Ice skating?"

"Yes"

"How did you know I know it?"

"That is irrelevant, McBride"

_I couldn't very well tell you that I had overheard you and Lindy from the stores room._

"What do you say?"

"If you're sure you can tolerate my company for so long"

"If you can do it, I definitely can" Drake finished with a declaration as he came further into the room up to the place where Sam was standing by the box.

"Do you like this song?"

"I don't even know what it is" Sam admitted.

"A good song for learning, nevertheless. Now, I know you have an aversion to me but, if you want to learn, you have to set that aside. Okay?"

"I guess. Why are you telling me this?"

"Just remember that" Drake said before he came near her and placed his hand on her waist.

"Place your right hand on my shoulder. Yes, that's fine. Now, give me your left hand"

He intertwined his fingers through hers.

"Now, you just have to concentrate on two things. Just copy my steps. And…"

"And?"

"Avoid stepping on my toes"

"That was a dangerous suggestion to give me Wood"

The first five minutes passed with Sam purposefully stepping on his toes and him swearing colorfully every time, making her laugh.

But once she stopped trying to squash his toes (or so he told her), she found that dancing with Wood was actually fun and relatively easy. She was able to predict his moves since she was attuned to watching him during their mock quidditch games.

Once she was sure she could follow the steps without constantly looking down at her shoes, she looked up at him to find his eyes intently staring at her.

Blaming her breathlessness and pounding heart on dancing, she asked him a question that had been plaguing her ever since they had started dancing.

"How do you know dancing, Wood? I never knew you were interested!"

"Another chip to the mounting pile of blocks you don't know. Jokes apart, we lived in France before we came here and I went to a Muggle school there. That was were I learnt dancing and as it was, I happened to be quite good at it, as I am at every thing else I try"

"Except Quidditch where you got beaten by me"

"The last match was a tie"

"The one before that wasn't"

"You distracted me"

"Isn't that what Chasers are supposed to do?"

Her amber eyes alight with glee, and her mahogany hair thrown back as she looked up at him, she looked more like an adorable girl and less like the one who fought with him on the pitch. And it scared him that he was beginning to slightly like this side of her.

His voice was abrupt and remote when suggested, "I think we have danced enough for today. Let's go"

As they entered the castle through the stage door, Sam stopped him and asked, "When do you want to practice skating? You aren't thinking of waiting till Christmas, are you?"

"No. How does Saturday sound?"

"We have a Hogsmeade trip on Saturday"

_Like I'd waste my Saturday on him!_

"In the evening?"

_That does sound okay_

"Okay! As long as I don't have home work"

_That was good. Aloof and non-committal_

"I thought Vicky was the studious type"

"Oh! And what type am I?" Sam retorted and immediately bit her tongue.

_Stupid! Stupid! That was a question impending disaster! Why did you even bother?_

"The tom boy type" Drake's voice was factual as he stated it.

"At least you've got one thing right. Good night Wood"

"Good night, Sam"

A/n: Since I didn't get any specific suggestions, I went along with Drake and Sam's POV. If you really want to read some one's POV, please tell me through a review!!!!!

_Sneak peek of the next chapter:_

"_You can't even penetrate the mind of a flobberworm at this rate Jacobs"_

_Why does she make me so uncharacteristically rude and irate?_

"_You sound horribly off key Hunter but I never mentioned it to you, did I?"_

"_I thought we were talking about your Legilimency"_

"_What I stated was a fact"_

"_An irrelevant fact"_

"_But a fact, nonetheless"_

"_Look Jacobs. I don't want to sound like I'm impolite but, if you want me to help you; you need to stop swearing every time you encounter my closed mind"_

"_May be I could distract you into opening it up"_

"_That's deceit. Not Legilimency"_

"_Are you calling me a cheat?"_

"_I was stating a fact" Carl replied, echoing her words from before._

"_Why did I ever agree to your help?"_

"'_Cause no one else could?"_

_Carl was very clearly smirking and it infuriated Nadine worse than any thing else._

See ya!


	8. Break Ups and Hippogriff Knacks

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 8: Predicted break ups and Hippogriff knacks

"You can't even penetrate the mind of a flobberworm at this rate Jacobs"

_Why does she make me so uncharacteristically rude and irate?_

"You sound horribly off key Hunter but I never mentioned it to you, did I?"

"I thought we were talking about your Legilimency"

"What I stated was a fact"

"An irrelevant fact"

"But a fact, nonetheless"

"Look Jacobs. I don't want to sound like I'm impolite but, if you want me to help you; you need to stop swearing every time you encounter my closed mind"

"May be I could distract you into opening it up"

"That's deceit. Not Legilimency"

"Are you calling me a cheat?"

"I was stating a fact" Carl replied, echoing her words from before.

"Why did I ever agree to your help?"

"'Cause no one else could?"

Carl was very clearly smirking and it infuriated Nadine worse than any thing else.

"Let's get to it, Hunter. I'll pierce your mind this time and shred it to pieces. Just you wait"

"That's the spirit" Carl's voice was playful as he patted Nadine's shoulder lightly.

"I'm ready" Nadine replied, ignoring the friendly gesture and the person who made it.

"Remember the basics. Legilimency is like pushing a wall with your hands. You can't just do it with brute force, not when the opponent knows Occlumency. You need to find the weak spots in the person's shield and work on them. And don't break eye contact at any cost"

"Okay! _Legilimens!_"

As soon as she had uttered the spell, she was faced with an invisible wall, which seemed to push her farther back. Fueling her will with his previous comments on her ability, she pushed with her mind at the barricade, all the while looking for frail spots.

Finding one, she tried harder, and she thought she saw a glimpse of the Black Lake at Hogwarts before the shield pushed her out.

"That was good, but you need to focus your mind on a particular spot. That way, you'll break the shield easily"

"Okay! But, what did I see?"

"A normal day of mine at Hogwarts"

_Where they had been discussing the most interesting girl at Hogwarts and he had voted for Nadine._

"Oh! Is there, like, a way to choose what you want to see?"

"You need to be well versed in Legilimency to do that. Not every body can do that. Imagine if any body could enter into and manipulate any body else's mind"

"That'd be a nightmare. Then, every one will have to learn Occlumency"

"I was talking about how awful it will be to have your mind penetrated. All your secrets revealed"

"There won't be any penetration if I'm able to block it"

_Some times I wish I could penetrate her mind and see what's going on. But of course, I had to have a conscious that says it's not the decent thing to do._

"What are you thinking?"

"Why don't you find out yourself?"

"That's not dignified. You can't use a skill simply because you know it and others don't. It's an unfair advantage"

"At least you have the right attitude for learning Legilimency. Not many will be as noble as you are"

"Why, thank you. I think that was a compliment, right?"

"Take it that way if it will please you"

"Are we done? I feel like going for dinner"

"Okay! Let's go"

"I'd much prefer it if we went separately"

"What's wrong with us going together?"

"Nothing. I just think it will be the appropriate thing to do"

"Alright! I'll go first and you can come later"

"Sure"

Ten minutes later, when Carl reached the Great Hall, he was amazed to see Nadine sitting amongst her friends, smiling at a joke Cassie made, almost halfway through her dinner.

The eyes that met him were sea green and were lighted with amusement as it met his own pair of hazels. Whether because of Cassie's humor or his own disorientation, he wasn't sure.

He walked towards the middle of the Gryffindor table where they always sat. Before he could reach them, though, a voice called out to him, "Carl!"

Turning around, her came face to face with Aldora Young, his girlfriend of three months.

"I think we need to talk"

"Okay!"

As he was led out of the Great Hall, he turned around to see that her eyes unfathomably grey now.

_Will her eyes ever settle on one color?_

"What is it, Aldora? I don't think we need to go any farther"

They were, in fact, only a few corridors away from the Great hall and, any one coming out of it could easily have heard their conversation. It didn't bother him in the slightest, though.

"I have been thinking the past few days…." She said as she twirled her curly flaxen blond hair which she wore in a pony tail at the nape of her neck.

"You have reached a conclusion?"

"Yes"

"Would I like to know what it is?"

"Since it concerns you, I think so" her eyes flashed with irritation at his calm demeanor, which she had always hated.

He met her slate grey eyes with his own, and said, "So what is it that's preventing you?"

"I think we should break up"

The statement was abrupt and blunt, without a hint of regret or sadness.

"Good for you"

"That's all you have to say? Don't you want to ask me the reason?"

"Why should I? It's not as if I'm going to learn any thing from them. Or change myself, for that matter. So, if you are done with your speech, can I go now?"

As he moved past Aldora, he wondered whether Nadine's snappiness has seeped into him.

_Probably_ he thought as he sat beside Drake who was, surprise of all surprises, not planning Quidditch moves but was reading a book on some thing that he couldn't see because he had placed the book with its cover on his lap.

"What are you reading?"

"History of music bands"

"Why are you suddenly interested in them?"

"Just so. It was a random book I picked up"

"Okay then"

"Where's Cassie?"

"Chasing Ray through the corridors. He had said some thing about her acquaintance with Buckbeak, it seems and she responded with some thing about his inability to spot the moon which was right in front of his bloody eyes and he replied some thing about Hippogriffs' knack for scenting spit fires a mile off and that was when the chase began" Sam spoke as if she was reading out of a written script.

"Oh!" He had thought he had imagined the rush of footsteps as he had been returning to the Great Hall.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAUNDERS!"

"There they are" Vicky said as the duo entered the Great Hall once again with Cassie still brandishing a wand in her hand and Ray still running a few feet in front of her.

"Miss Valdez! Mr Saunders!"

"They're in for it this time" was all Nikita said as she turned towards her plate once more.

"Let's hope they will forget about this soon and not take revenge on the other like last time"

"Not again! The last time, it lasted a year! Who's to say how long it will be this time!"

"We're all doomed!" Teddy pronounced in a somber voice before he lifted his hands, which were full of chips, all showered them on Drake, who had been engrossed in his book.

The only reaction Drake gave was picking one that fell on the line he had been reading and throwing it aside, which landed back on Teddy.

"So, what did Young want?" Teddy asked as he turned his attention away from Drake.

"We broke up"

"Finally!" Vicky sighed as if it was a long awaited event.

"What? You knew this was gonna happen?"

"I know every thing, Carl! Moreover, when you live with nine friends who are all single, you're bound to wish for the same"

"You aren't even sad it ended?"

"She was never really good for you man" Teddy replied as he drank pumpkin juice.

Carl looked around for support and only found nodding faces, except in two cases. Drake was still immersed in his book and Nadine was looking at Ray, Cassie and Professor Longbottom, who was telling them off, pretending not to be interested in the conversation, which was the usual.

Nadine never really paid heed to any thing unless it was classes or some thing her friends were saying.

And considering the amount of interest she was giving him, Carl assumed she considered him akin to rain in Britain. Tolerable, but boring and common, and definitely not good enough for a friend.

We cannot blame him, at least at this stage, for not realizing how far away from the truth he was, since, Nadine was currently staring, not at the aforementioned trio, but at Aldora Young, who was seated at the table nearby, wondering why she had broken up with Carl.

A/n: So, what do you think? I've finally mapped out all the five pairs. Whew! Seemed such a monumental job when I began.

Are you still confused?

Which pairing do you like the most?

Who is your fav character?

Whose POV would you like the next?

Did you like the chapter?

Tell me through a review!

P.S.: I'm not posting a preview for two reasons-

(1) I haven't written even a word for it

(2) I'm waiting for your choices

So, it's all up to you how fast I update!

See ya till the next update!

RoseScor90


	9. Parent Troubles

Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: This is going to be a rather long author's note, I'm afraid.

First of all, I'm sorry for not updating this story for so long. I'm so sorry you guys can't even guess how stupid I feel for neglecting the story. I do promise to be a better updater from now on, though.

Secondly, I was reading through the first few chapters of the story and at some points all I could think of was _I wrote that?_ and not in the good sense. So what I'm saying is that I'll be doing a major revamp of the story. I'm not going to change the plot or the characters or the incidents, but I'm just going to re write them. So you don't have to read the revised version if you don't want to.

Now, for the Teddy/Victoire everyone asked for!

Chapter 9: Parent Troubles

It was a normal Thursday and Teddy was walking to the Owlery after classes, to send his grandmother a letter explaining why he hadn't written to her for almost a month. Andromeda Tonks had gotten awfully protective of the only living family she had; excepting her sister that was.

Opening the door, Teddy was subjected to a sight that was both painful and confusing. Victoire was standing at the window, looking out the sky. He knew she did that sometimes when she felt like being alone, but it was the steady trail of tears that had him frozen. Her owl that was perched beside her noticed Teddy and hooted, waking Victoire from her trance. She looked around consciously and a relieved sigh escaped her when she noticed who it was. Only for a second though, the next she was wiping away her tears, trying to appear happy. She even put up a sunny smile, drawing on her veela charms.

"Vic," Her name, in that tone, told her she wasn't succeeding anymore than she had at becoming an Animagus.

"It was nothing Ed, really. I just had a fight with Dominique at the commonroom yesterday and…"

"So you're even lying to me now, huh? Dominique has been in the Hospital Wing since the day before yesterday. We visited her before classes, remember?" His hurt shone through more than anything else and it was what broke her more than her own sorrow.

"Oh, Ed it's terrible! I don't know what to do!" She rushed to him, throwing herself into his open arms. Teddy didn't know what was wrong and he didn't pester her about it. Victoire always cried her eyes out before she told him the reason. He had enough tear stained jumpers to testify to that. So he just hugged her close, running a hand through her hair, muttering meaningless words, but she seemed to need them, and she buried herself in his cloak as her body raked with sobs.

This wasn't like other times, Teddy noticed. She was genuinely upset about something, something serious. It was almost ten minutes before she surfaced, her eyes swollen with two bright red spots on her cheek. She appeared tired and weary, like she hadn't slept for a long time.

"When was the last time you slept?" Victoire muttered something that sounded curiously like 'Dunno'.

"Now tell me." He held her at arms length, looking into her eyes. He was sure his hair was turning the exact shade of baby blue she liked; it might make her feel better.

"It's Mum and Dad. They love each other too much. Ever since Dad got that promotion, they've been fighting like cat and mouse. Dad has to spend extra time at the Bank and Mum feels lonely, left alone at the house. She misses Dad but both their prides are getting in the way. Not to mention the fact that Dad still thinks Mum married him out of pity. It's so screwed and they're making things worse by rowing about it. I just wish…why can't they get over it already?" Victoire's voice was frustrated as she threw her hands up in a sign of resignation.

"How long has this been going on?" Victoire knew he wasn't asking about her parents. Teddy was always concerned about her before anything else. It was that that made him the best friend any girl ever had in history.

"Ever since they fought, ever since Dad got his promotion,"

"Three months, _three months_ and you never told me? I'm feeling really like your best friend now."

"Teddy, don't. Not you too. You can't be cross with me now, okay? Maybe after Dad and Mum make up, but not now. I need you on my side. Please?" She knew he was the only one who'd understand how difficult it was for her to ask someone's help. She had never been good at it, and Teddy didn't want to put her in anymore misery than she already was.

"Do you reckon your Animagus will be a Dementor now? What with you being morose and all?" She chuckled lightly, her eyes shining with silent gratitude. Teddy nodded once, he'd stay beside her. Didn't he always?

"I guess I'm not too keen on finding about it,"

"As you wish, _Mia._" He bowed comically to her, imitating a Victorain gentleman; Victoire giggled.

"That's not even French!" She remarked as they walked back to the castle hand in hand. They were almost to the doors when Teddy stopped her, his face somber and completely serious.

"You should stop worrying about them. Married people have fall outs, sometimes. They can't agree about everything forever. Mistakes do occur. But if your parents love each other, they'll set things right. Okay?"

"How do you know so much about it?" Victoire asked curiously.

"Harry and Ginny. Lily was five when they had a major fight about her quitting the Holyhead Harpies. The poor girl didn't know what to do to make them stop shouting like that. Albus and James, they turned a blind eye and a deaf ear, but Lily was too little. I used to go there often and placate her. They made up after a few months, didn't they?"

"Yeah. Yeah, they did, didn't they?" There was the slight sliver of hope that he had tried so desperately to achieve.

And when almost a week later, Victoire came skipping to him, her face glowing with happiness and a letter in her hand, Teddy knew all was well. She smothered him in a hug so tight that he was suffocated. But he didn't sense desperation in it; he felt her euphoria.

"They're going on a vacation. Dad applied for a month's leave and they're going to France for a holiday. They made up!" She was jubilant, her azure eyes shining with unhidden joy.

"What did I tell you?" He did his best to muster an I told you so look that made her laugh.

"Of course, Monsieur Teddy is never wrong, is he?"

"Of course" They spent the rest of the evening talking about her parents, and about how Teddy had always known everything would work out.

A/n: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the amazing storywriter who wrote so beautiful a script for a movie that inspired me to write this chapter, and to my friend who made me sit down and watch the movie which I had no interest in, but got addicted by the end anyway!

In other news, the poll is still open; please do vote on who you like most and I might write them next!

As always, I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.

Please do leave a review!


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